Central City Flower Girls

Melanie Knoblauch measures Emily Hemming for the gown the Flower Girls will wear when they are presented on June 27 in the Teller House Garden. Photo by David Zalubowski, Special to The Denver Post

The 15 young women who have accepted bids to become Central City Flower Girls for 2009 are:Lindsey Kathleen Bell, daughter of Gary and Edie Bell of Centennial. Lindsey attends Cherry Creek High School. She was inducted into the National Honor Society during the 10th grade and has been active in DECA, the Key Club, and Cherry Creek High School Big Sisters. Her sports interests include golf and snowboarding and she has both played and coached field hockey. Lindsey has been very involved with several community service organizations including The Children’s Hospital, where she has helped with several fundraising events; the Donor Alliance; the American Heart Association; and the Denver Ballet Guild. Lindsey is a fourth-generation Colorado native. Her family owns Bell Plumbing and Heating which has been in business for 83 years.

Elizabeth Kathleen Clark, daughter of Dennis and Ann Clark of Englewood. A senior at Kent Denver School, she is the head of the loan committee for the student-run Kent Denver Credit Union and a member of the Key Club and Model UN. Lizzy is a dominant force on both the lacrosse and field hockey teams where as goalie, her varsity field hockey team made both league and state finals. Following the season, Lizzy was named an All-Star Senior. Lizzy’s mom, Ann, has been very involved with Central City Opera serving on committees for the Denver Antiques Show, L’Esprit de Noel, and as chairman of opening night in 2006.

Alison McKeen Morss Dehncke, daughter of Richard Dehncke and Kim Morss of Greenwood Village. She attends Cherry Creek High School and is involved with DECA, Creek Connects, the Diversity Task Force, Future Community Leaders of America, and is a member of the National Honor Society. During the summer of 2007, Ali participated in an Outward Bound wilderness program. She is a certified SCUBA diver and has earned varsity letters in lacrosse during both her junior and senior years. Ali’s sister, Cameron, was a Flower Girl in 2007.

Elizabeth Anne Marie Deline, daughter of Tom and Meg Deline of Denver. She is the first fourth-generation student to attend St. Mary’s Academy, where she earned a place on the honor roll and became a member of the National Honor Society. Liz has won consecutive state championships in summer club synchronized swimming and has been named by the United States Lacrosse Association as an Academic All-American in 2008. After playing on the field hockey state championship team in 2008, Liz was named Most Valuable Player by the Denver Post and the Rocky Mountain News. Liz’s great-grandparents owned Monaghan Construction which created many of Colorado’s original mountain passes, and built several of the state’s highways, military bases and airports.

Laurette Warren Duke, daughter of Ben and Laurette Duke of Elizabeth. For the past 12 years, the Kent Denver senior has been an active member of the Elbert Creekside 4-H Club and is its current president. Rettie raises market sheep and has participated in shooting sports competitions at the Elbert County Fair. For the past four years, she has volunteered at the Denver Zoo as a zoo crew member. At Kent, Rettie has played on the varsity volleyball team, the junior varsity tennis team and enjoys her art classes there. Rettie’s grandfather was vice chairman of the Gates Corp. and her grandmother founded the Aspen Country Store. Her great-grandfather headed the Producers Livestock Association in Denver.

Catherine Taylor Duke, daughter of Charles and Lisa Duke of Englewood. Also a senior at Kent Denver School, she has been very active in the theater program there and has had roles in West Side Story, Urine Town, The Sound of Music, and Fiddler on the Roof. Taylor is co-captain of the varsity volleyball team and also plays on the varsity soccer team. Taylor has worked with Habitat for Humanity and has also taken a Spanish-immersion community service trip to Argentina. Taylor’s mom, Lisa, has been a member of the Denver Antiques Show committee and has served as chairman of the show.

Rebecca Louise Ferrell, daughter of Jeff and Kyle Ferrell of Englewood. A senior at Kent Denver School, she received the Algebra II award in 2008, has volunteered for Breakthough and helps to care for the children of Kent Denver teachers in the school’s child care center. Becky’s great-great-great grandparents lived in Central City in the 1860s.

Emily Anne Hemming, daughter of Bob and Nancy Hemming of Lakewood. Emily attends J.K. Mullen High School where she is a four-year member of both the lacrosse and cross country teams. She is also a member of the National Forensic League debate team and the business editor for the school yearbook. Emily’s community service activities include being on the Youth Advisory Board for the Denver Community Credit Union and being a volunteer for Central City Opera Youth Education and Historic Properties where she earned the Youth Volunteer of the Year Award. Emily’s maternal great-grandmother worked on Broadway in New York City as a wardrobe mistress and traveled by train to Central City on several occasions to bring various shows to the Central City Opera House. She was a friend of many of the Central City stars such as, Helen Hayes, Mae West, and Hedda Hopper. Emily’s mom, Nancy, was the 2008 opening night chairman.

Meredith Anne Kaufman, daughter of Bob and Wendy Kaufman of Denver. Meredith attends St. George’s School in Newport, Rhode Island, and will attend Bucknell University after graduation. She played junior varsity field hockey, has been the manager of the women’s varsity ice hockey team, and is the editor of the school newspaper. Meredith has been on the honor roll for all semesters while at St George’s. During the fall of 2007, she attended the Island School in Eleuthra, Bahamas, to study marine biology and during the summer of 2007, she attended the Choate School in France. Last summer she was an intern at the Carlyle Hotel in New York City. Meredith is a fifth-generation Colorado native. Her parents are supporters of the Denver Antiques Show as members of its Connoisseurs’ Club.

Virginia Malcolm Lichty, daughter of LeeLee Lichty of Denver and the late Roger Harding Lichty. VeeVee, a senior at St. Mary’s Academy, will attend Southern Methodist University. At St. Mary’s, VeeVee is on the varsity lacrosse and field hockey teams. She volunteers for Habit for Humanity, with which she traveled to New Orleans to rebuild homes destroyed in Hurricane Katrina. Her mother has been active in many Central City Opera events, including a term chairing the L’Esprit de Noel holiday home tour. VeeVee’s late father, Roger, was a Flower Girl escort in 1967.

Caitlin Hallager McGonagle, daughter of Tom and Anne McGonagle of Cherry Hills Village. Caitlin is a senior at Kent Denver School and will attend Colgate University. She has been captain of the Kent varsity soccer team, president of the Community Outreach Program, and very involved in the theater program where most recently she played Hodel in Fiddler on the Roof. Last summer, Caitlin traveled to Fiji to participate in a marine biology service program. Caitlin is a fifth-generation Coloradan. Her great-grandfather owned and operated the Denver Gear and Parts Company. Her grandfather is a Round-up Rider of the Rockies. The McGonagle home was part of the L’Espirt de Noel home tour in 2007, and her mom, Anne, has served on the Denver Antiques Show committee.

Shelby Ellyn Parker, daughter of Brad and Brooke Parker of Greenwood Village. Shelby is captain of the Cherry Creek High School pom squad and a member of DECA and Key Club. Shelby volunteers for Families First, Race for the Cure, and the First American State Bank Fitness Festival. She is a Bible study youth leader. Shelby’s mother, Brooke Tanner Parker, was a Flower Girl in 1979, and Shelby’s sister, Kelly, was a Flower Girl in 2005.

Sarah Elizabeth Rich, daughter of John and Julie Rich of Greenwood Village. Sarah is a co-founder of Kent Denver’s Marine Biology Club and founder and co-leader of SADD (Students Against Destructive Behavior). Sarah has been a member of both the field hockey and soccer teams and is actively involved with the school’s arts and theater programs at Kent, earning roles in West Side Story, Urine Town, and Fiddler on the Roof. Her artwork has been published in the student fine arts magazine, Paper Wings.

Cory Tyler Smith, daughter of Dudley and Ronda Smith of Denver. Cory has been on the honor roll all four years at Kent Denver, where she earned three permanent art collection awards and has recently received a Scholastic Silver Key Award in ceramics. Cory is the co-captain of the varsity volleyball team and is a member of the Environmental Action Club. She has been a volunteer counselor and therapist’s assistant for Adam’s Camp and has traveled to Guatemala as a construction and education volunteer. Cory is a fourth-generation Coloradan. Cory’s grandfather, Dudley Tyler Smith, Sr., was a prominent Denver architect. His work includes the City Annex building in downtown Denver. Her older sisters were Flower Girls in 1989 and 2005. Cory’s mother, Ronda, is the 2009 Opening Night Co-Chairman and will chair the event in 2010.

Nicole Jennifer Wissmann, daughter of Paul and Amy Wissmann of Cherry Hills Village. Nicole has been on Kent Denver’s high academic honor roll for four years and made Headmaster’s List during her senior year. She is an elected Student Council representative, co-president of the Marine Biology Club, and is class president of the National Charity League where she was awarded the Martha Caschette Award for most service hours. Additionally, one of Nicole’s photographs has been selected to be in Kent Denver’s permanent art collection. Nicole is a volunteer for the Children’s Hospital. The Wissmann home was part of the L’Esprit de Noel home tour in 2007.

Pictures taken at the tea where the 2009 Flower Girls were introduced for the first time can be viewed at denverpost.com/seengallery

Study after study has shown that when it comes to charitable fundraisers, Denver has more per capita than any comparably sized city in the nation. Joanne Davidson has been covering them for The Denver Post since 1985, coming here from her native California where she'd spent the previous seven years as San Francisco bureau chief for U.S. News & World Report magazine.